This article analyzes the impact of the built environment on the narrative development of two contemporary television series, 24 (2001-2010) and Alias (2001-2006). The analysis begins with the primary sets used in 24 and Alias, paying particular attention to the ways that these sets establish the series within the genre of espionage dramas, and to the ways that they establish a particular set of gender relationships. This is followed by an examination of broader spatial concepts, showing how the two series negotiate the gendered boundaries between the domestic sphere and the professional sphere. By highlighting the connections between architecture, space, and gender in these series, this essay will demonstrate how the analysis of on-screen spaces can reveal the ideologies of individual media texts and the genres of which they are a part.